The Flash Announces Identity of Mystery Speedster

The Flash has several seismic shifts coming this year, mostly due to the upcoming Flashpoint storyline, and among them is the introduction of yet another speedster, who will serve as one of this season's villains. Now, The CW has confirmed the speedster's identity, and it's probably not who you expect.

The mysterious character was first seen on set last month, and although it was clear that he was a villain, and some speculated Black Racer from his costume, fans were mostly nonplussed:

Now, The CW has revealed at TCA (via Variety) that the character is, indeed, a comic villain: Savitar, a relatively minor antagonist who primarily went up against Wally West. In the comics, he was a former Eastern Bloc military pilot who was infused with Speed Force energy while flying an experimental supersonic plane. He then begins to hunt other speedsters, including Max Mercury and Wally West, who sends him back into the Speed Force.

Although it seems like a slightly random choice, since the character isn't very famous, it makes sense that it's a Wally West villain rather than Barry Allen. As a result of Barry changing the timeline in the season finale, he will lose his powers while Wally will become Kid Flash. This was confirmed by the set photos, which see Savitar facing off against Wally in costume as Kid Flash, while Barry helps out in his civvies.

It's unclear whether Savitar will be the primary villain or secondary villain, since he will join the already-confirmed Doctor Alchemy, who seems more like Big Bad material. It's also unknown who will play him, although there's a chance that it could be the recently cast Tom Felton, who is playing a CSI at the CCPD who "suspects there's more to Barry Allen than just his good guy reputation." His character name is listed as Julian Dorn, but Savitar's real name isn't known in the comics, and he already seems to be positioned as an antagonist, so it's possible that Savitar is his alter-ego.